Sign of the times: President Vistasp Karbhari applauds future Mavericks from Grand Prairie at Tuesday's announcement of the Bound for Success program expansion.

Bound for Success program expands

UT Arlington has new partnerships with the Grand Prairie and Mansfield school districts for a significant expansion of Bound for Success, the early-admissions initiative aimed at increasing the number of high school students who earn a college degree.

The collaborative program provides high-achieving students deferred, unconditional admission provided they graduate with a recognized college preparatory diploma and satisfy the Texas Success Initiatives requirements.

The pilot program began last fall with the Arlington school district, and each partnership is tailored to meet a district’s needs. Combined, the three districts represent 125,000 students and their families.

Ronald L. Elsenbaumer, provost and vice president for academic affairs, called the Grand Prairie partnership “a wonderful example of resources being leveraged to enable a high level of interaction between UT Arlington and high school students.”

College of Engineering hires IMSE chair

Paul Componation is the new chair of the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, or IMSE, Department in the College of Engineering. He will start July 7.

Most of Dr. Componation’s work has been in improving launch system development for NASA. He also worked on the application of decision-analysis tools to support Defense Department aviation and missile systems.

“I was drawn to industrial engineering because it’s about choices. Rather than focus on one specific set of skills, industrial engineers learn to analyze and improve processes, so they can work in a wide range of industries,” Componation says. “I think there are great opportunities for IMSE students in consulting, entertainment, and health care, as well as traditional areas like manufacturing and logistics.”

Currently a professor and director of Graduate Education for Engineering Management at Iowa State University, Componation calls UT Arlington “a good fit for me.”

Department of Commerce appoints vice president for research to advisory board

Carolyn Cason, vice president for research, has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a program of the Department of Commerce. Dr. Cason will serve a three-year term, effective immediately.

The MEP works to increase the competitiveness of American manufacturers through services grounded in business strategy development, advanced marketing techniques, new product development, integration of supply chains, and development of a skilled workforce.

“The Manufacturing Extension Partnership plays a vital role in driving innovation and achievement among small American manufacturers,” says Cason, who joined UT Arlington as a nursing professor in 1997.

TMAC, formerly the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center, is the Texas affiliate of the MEP. It works with small and mid-size companies to help improve their global competitiveness and to adopt new technologies. TMAC has worked collaboratively with UT Arlington for nearly 20 years.

UT Arlington to host international conference on language research

Some of the world’s leading experts in language research and documentation, language activists, students, and indigenous community members will gather to discuss Native American languages and indigenous communities at CoLang 2014: Institute on Collaborative Language Research June 16-27 at UT Arlington.

The institute is funded by a National Science Foundation grant to Colleen Fitzgerald, professor of linguistics and director of CoLang 2014. The Linguistic Society of America and various units of UT Arlington also provided support.

“To be able to host CoLang is an absolute privilege, especially since it is an unparalleled opportunity to highlight the status of Native American languages in our region and throughout the U.S.,” Dr. Fitzgerald says.

CoLang 2014 consists of two weeks of intensive workshops on various topics in language documentation and revitalization. Visit Register4CoLang for more details.

National initiative to increase college students studying abroad

UT Arlington has joined the Institute of International Education’s new Generation Study Abroad initiative to double the number of American students who study abroad by the end of the decade.

The program, which launched in March and includes 241 U.S. colleges and universities from 46 states, focuses on increasing diversity and opportunities for students.

UT Arlington has committed to increasing the number of study abroad students by 60 percent over the next five years. Approximately 250 UTA students study abroad each year.

“For today’s college student, a global education experience is no longer the icing, it’s the cake,” says Jay Horn, executive director of UT Arlington’s Office of International Education. “Employers are seeking people with a global perspective who are prepared to work in the multicultural workplace, and studying abroad is a great way to develop those skills.”

Learn how to develop curriculum, engage students, and assess student work. Discover resources and explore UTA's Rubric Primer. Connect with other faculty and academic staff members who are experts on teaching tools, techniques, and methodology on the Faculty Helping Faculty page.

For more details, contact Lana Rings, the center's interim director, at rings@uta.edu.

Fond farewell

UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa received accolades from the Faculty Senate leadership during a visit to campus last week. The pediatric transplant surgeon is returning full time to his medical practice after five years at the helm of the 15-campus system. From left are Mark Cichock, professor of political science; Antoinette Sol, associate professor of modern languages; Pedro Reyes, UT System executive vice chancellor for academic affairs; Tom Ingram, associate professor of communication; Dr. Cigarroa; Dan Cavanagh, associate professor of music; and President Vistasp Karbhari.

UTA Libraries win national grant to convert finding aids

The UT Arlington Libraries received $49,686 from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission’s Documenting Democracy program to encode 290 finding aids. Only 15 institutions received Documenting Democracy awards this year.

Finding aids are guides to archival collections that help researchers find relevant material. The finding aids covered by the award were written decades ago. Bringing them online will help researchers discover these unique collections and facilitate their access.

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) is the grantmaking affiliate of the National Archives and Records Administration. Congress established the NHPRC grants program in 1934 to promote the preservation and use of America's documentary heritage.

MavAlert system update Monday

The MavAlert system will be inoperable 4-7 p.m. Monday, June 2, for an upgrade of the system.

To ensure timely communication in the event of an emergency during this time, the University’s website and email system will be used to notify the campus community.

Audible announcements will be made using the outdoor warning system and the on-campus building annunciation system.

Transfer tips

Aditi Agrawal, left, finance senior, explains the TRIO program to Randall Cox, anthropology junior, at Tuesday's Involvement Fair during New Maverick Orientation for transfer students. Cox transferred from Tarrant County College. Agrawal is a TRIO program tutor.

Mediation training registration deadline is Wednesday

Register for free faculty and staff mediation training by 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 4. The Office of Community Standards offers the 40-hour alternative dispute resolution course sponsored by the State Bar of Texas.

Triple crown coach: Track and field coach John Sauerhage scored his own triple crown when he was named Sun Belt Conference Men's Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year. He secured SBC coaching accolades for men's cross country and men's indoor track after UTA claimed team titles in each of those sports.

Sauerhage named SBC Men's Outdoor Coach of the Year

Track and field coach John Sauerhage was named Sun Belt Conference Men's Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year.

He previously secured SBC coaching accolades for men's cross country and men's indoor track after UTA claimed team titles in each of those sports.

For Sauerhage, the outdoor men's coaching honor was the third of his career. The 18-year coaching veteran now has amassed 25 conference coach-of-the-year awards in men's and women's cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track and field.

Track and field qualifies 14 for NCAA West Preliminary

One relay squad and 14 individual competitors will compete at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Fayetteville, Ark., Thursday-Saturday, May 29-31.

The top 12 individuals in each event and eight best relays will advance to the NCAA Championships June 11-15 in Eugene, Ore.

Clayton Vaughn qualified in the 100 meters and 200 meters. His 10.08 clocking in the 100 is second in the region, while his 200 time of 20.47 ranks fifth. Quentin Butler also will compete in the 100 and 200, and Cameron Newson in the 200. Butler, Newson, Vaughn, and Christian Clark are ranked 12th in the 4x100 relay.

Ivan Storic is listed eighth in the javelin. Other competitors are Roland Sales in the high jump, Emil Blomberg in the steeplechase, Renan Palma in 110-meter hurdles, and Brandon Waller in the long jump and triple jump.

For the women, Ashly Wright will compete in the 800 meters, which she did at last year's NCAA Championships. Also competing are DeOna Stafford in the 100-meter hurdles, DeAndrea Smith in the 200 meters, Shae Johnson in the triple jump, Morgan Domingue in the long jump, and Noemie Forget in the pole vault.

Mavericks fall short of Sun Belt Conference baseball title

UTA’s drive to the NCAA Baseball Tournament ended a game short, as the No. 2 Mavericks fell 6-5 to top-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday in the finals of the Sun Belt Baseball Championship in Mobile, Ala.

The Mavericks finished the season 33-26 after having their 10-game winning streak snapped in the championship game. UTA went 17-3 in its final 20 games.

UT Arlington entered Sunday in position to capture its third different conference championship in the last three years. After starting 1-5, the Mavericks went 19-11 in their first Sun Belt season and placed second to Louisiana-Lafayette, whose 53 wins lead the nation.

Travis Sibley, Zach Thompson, Darien McLemore, and Matt Shortall were named to the all-tournament team.

Summer intramural programs begin in June

Register for upcoming intramural sports in sand volleyball, tennis, and racquetball, through June 11; softball, June 4-18; 3-on-3 basketball, June 11-25; billiards tournament, June 26; innertube water polo, June 26-July 17; poker tournament, July 24; and MavStrong competition, July 24-Aug. 8.

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